Kukla's Korner Hockey

When the Buffalo Sabres General Manager took a chance on drafting Alexander Mogilny in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, he faced some skepticism from his peers – and a political impasse from the Soviet Union.

At the time, the Cold War was not yet resolved, and tension between Mogilny’s homeland and the United States were still high.

Making the situation more implausible was the fact that Mogilny was currently playing for the Soviet national team – the Central Red Army.